pon
retirement from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1846, McLoughlin
moved into the Oregon City house pictured here. He remained
a prominent and hospitable figure while operating a milling
and merchandise business. Other than serving as mayor of
Oregon City in 1852, McLoughlin did not take part in local
politics. However, he was unable to avoid the political
storm that was forming over his land. The dispute had its
origins in 1829 when McLoughlin first claimed land in the
area. By 1842 he had platted out and named the town of
Oregon City. But soon several politically strong opponents
sought to gain title to his valuable property in the
vicinity of Willamette Falls. They succeeded in adding a
clause to the Donation Land Act of 1850 that forced him to
forfeit much of his land claim. Tragically, he died in 1857,
broken in spirit and fortune.

In at least partial recognition of
the injustice of his treatment, the State of Oregon released
the property to his heirs in 1862 after payment of a nominal
sum. Later, in a 1907 eulogy at the dedication of the
McLoughlin Institute at Oregon City, Oregon Historical
Society President Frederick V. Holman had strong words for
those who opposed McLoughlin: "I shall merely mention that
conspirators against Dr. McLoughlin took for themselves
parts of his land claim and, by means of malicious
misstatements, caused Congress unjustly to deprive him of
all the rest of his land claim, and thus humbled and
humiliated and impoverished the grand, the noble, the
generous Father of Oregon."

McLoughlin attempted to defend his
holdings and influence as the petition shown below
illustrates. The response of the Legislative Assembly was
cold:

[A: Text of McLoughlin's
Petition to Vote]

Oregon City 4th May 1850

To A J Lovejoy, Horace Baker, Wm
Burk

Judges of Election for the Precinct
of Oregon City Clackamas County Oregon Territory

Gentleman

I hereby offer to be at the
Election over which you preside for George L Curry to be a
member of the House of representatives to Represent
Clackamas County and as you are Judges of the qualification
of voters I will state that I am a free white male
Inhabitant above the age of twenty one years and was on the
14th day of Aug 1848 and for a long time previously had been
such inhabitant that I declared my intention of becoming a
citizen of the United States at the Earliest moment possible
to do so after the Extension of the Laws of that Government
over Oregon and further that I have taken an Oath to support
the Constitution of the United States and the provisions of
the Organic Law of this Territory.

In answer to your communication,
your vote was rejected because the Law of the Territorial
assembly prohibits you the right of voting.

Horace Baker

Wm. Burk

Apparently soon after his death the
members of the Legislative Assembly were remorseful over
their treatment of McLoughlin. They passed the following
undated resolution of thanks:

[Text of
Resolution of Thanks to Dr. McLoughlin for Help to the Early
Settlers]

Whereas The Acts of Dr. John
McLoughlin in regard to his treatment of the early settlers
of Oregon, has, as we believe, been misrepresented,

Therefore,

Resolved, That the generous conduct
of Dr. John McLoughlin, in assisting the early settlers of
Oregon, merits our warmest commendation; and that, as
evidence of the high estimation in which his services are
held by his fellow citizens, the thanks of this assembly be
tendered to said Dr. John McLoughlin.